Thursday night's main MLB DFS slate features five-games on both DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:05 p.m. ET. FanDuel is adding the Marlins-Nationals game beginning at 6:40 p.m. ET to their six-game slate. We don't have many elite daily fantasy pitchers tonight, but we do have Gerrit Cole and Max Fried in good matchups. You can also find some studs and sleepers in a few appealing stacks, such as the Braves, Yankees, Orioles, and Guardians. Fortunately, we look good on the weather front, but check back with our MLB Weather Center for more details as we approach roster lock.
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Today's MLB DFS Playbook: Lineup picks, tips for Thursday
SP Gerrit Cole, Yankees (@ Twins). The Yankees are coming off a disappointing game on Wednesday, but Cole is here to put a stop to that. He’s been extremely good lately, notching 22-plus DK points in eight straight games, including 36.6 DKP just last game. Cole has been mowing teams down, notching nine or more strikeouts in six of his past seven outings. Minnesota’s offense has been better of late, but Cole is the top option of the slate by a large margin.
SP Konnor Pilkington, Guardians (vs. A's). When you look at Pilkington’s minor league run, he struck out a lot of guys, so his 23 strikeouts through his first 17 major league innings shouldn’t surprise anyone. Oakland ranks 24th in OPS, 27th in wOBA, and has the 10th-highest K-rate against lefthanded pitching. Pilkington likely checks in as one of the, if not the chalkiest, value play on the slate.
C M.J. Melendez, Royals (vs. Orioles). Lefties have gotten to Jordan Lyles this season, batting .304 with a .910 OPS and .391 wOBA against him. Melendez has been pretty good lately, batting .306 over his past 10 games and has hits in seven of his past nine games.
1B Matt Olson, Braves (vs. Pirates). The fly-ball rate, home run rate, and hard-hit rate are up for J.T. Brubaker against lefthanded hitters. Insert Olson, who’s riding a five-game hitting streak and in eight of nine overall. Against righties, Olson has a .378 wOBA on the year.
2B Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles (@ Royals). It’s hard to ignore his DraftKings price. That’s where I specifically want to use him, but he works in FD and Yahoo team stacks, as well.
3B Jose Ramirez, Guardians (vs. A's). Ramirez might very well be the top spend-up of the slate. James Kaprielian has been bad against lefties, and nobody in the league has driven in more runs than Ramirez. He has a 1.089 OPS over his past 10 games, as well as extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in that span. He has 11 HRs and 43 RBIs vs. RHP on the year, as well as a .454 wOBA.
SS Bobby Witt Jr., Royals (vs. Orioles). He’s undoubtedly slumping, but Witt has found virtually all his success against righthanded pitching this year, posting seven HRs and a .349 wOBA against them. We know his stolen base ability, and it’s easier with a righty to do so.
OF Adam Duvall, Braves (vs. Pirates). Duvall has started to heat up lately, notching two hits in three straight games, including a home run in two of three. He’s still extremely cheap, so take advantage against J.T. Brubaker.
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